SINGAPORE--The Singapore dollar was a tad higher against the U.S. dollar late in Asia on Friday, ahead of the release of U.S. housing starts data that could show a bit of weakness.
The U.S. dollar was quoted at S$1.2729 in the last hour of Asian trade, a notch below S$1.2742 it was at around the same time on Thursday.
Investors are awaiting a Commerce Department report on December housing starts to be published later Friday. Inclement weather conditions are already factored in by seasonal adjustment of the data, but investors will want to know if the cold weather had a stronger-than-usual impact on building activity.
Construction on new homes is expected to reach a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 985,000, down from 1.09 million homes in November. That may put pressure on the U.S. currency.
Singapore government bonds were mixed, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year bond down three basis points to 2.50%, while that on the two-year bond rose two basis points to 0.43%.
